San Jose Screening: THE VOLUNTEER

a short documentary on Vietnam veteran Bruce Nakashima

Saturday, September 7th, 2 pm

Wesley United Methodist Church, 566 Fifth Street, San Jose Japantown

Join us for the screening, reflections from filmmaker David Brodie, and a community conversation as we remember Bruce Nakashima and those who served during the Vietnam War, a heightened time of tension and protests, and the scars that remain hidden over 50 years later.  If you know of anyone who experienced the Vietnam War and may be willing to join our conversation, we warmly welcome them. Please contact Judy Kajiwara or Jill Shiraki at jill@j-sei.org.  The dialogue will be moderated by Alan Maeda.

The Volunteer is a short documentary about Vietnam veteran Bruce Nakashima.  Bruce reflects upon his combat experiences, the racism he encountered, and his struggle to express the shame, guilt and anger he’s since carried.  The film follows the close friendship Bruce had with fellow African American soldier LV.  After surviving an attack, the two injured soldiers are rescued, hospitalized and lose contact with each other.  During the making of The Volunteer, 50 years later, Bruce and LV are finally reunited.  Their renewed friendship helps Bruce begin to reconcile the unspeakable memories that have haunted him and, most importantly, to thank LV for saving his life.

“The pain in The Volunteer captures the unforgivable realities of war, things that hurt any combat Veteran to the morrow.  The joy is realizing, from Bruce Nakashima’s experiences, that I am neither a criminal nor a victim.”  –Francisco Juarez, Vietnam Veteran and Commander of the El Camino Real Chapter of the American GI Forum of the US

 “…a moving and deeply resonant exploration into the enduring impact of racial trauma, the profound power and bonds of friendship, and the universal quest for identity and a sense of belonging.”  BEND Film Festival

View the trailer.

J-Sei at the Movies
Friday, June 14, 6:30 pm (on Zoom)

J-Sei Movie Night in the Living Room continues. Inspired by responses from our year-end poll, we’re extending an open invitation to anyone who would like to select and host a movie for us to watch and discuss.

This month, guest host Ellen Hashiguchi has selected THE BLIND SWORDSMAN: ZATOICHI (2003), directed by and starring Kitano Takeshi, the multi-talented entertainer and auteur who also performs under the name “Beat” Takeshi. Also starring Asano Tadanobu (who recently played the scene-stealing Yabushige in TV’s Shogun series), this modern re-telling of the classic chambara story of the blind master swordsman is a crowd-pleaser sure to evoke interesting group discussion. Many thanks to long-time movie night regular Ellen for selecting this month’s movie!

Please join us on Friday, June 14, at 6:30pm on Zoom. RSVP Jill (jill@j-sei.org) with “June movie night” in the subject line. We’ll send you Zoom info and reminders beforehand.

 J-Sei Movie Night Bento

• Shrimp Spring Salad $18: Roasted shrimp, cherry tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, little gem and senmoto negi salad dressing;
• Chasu Donburi $22: Pork belly chashu, jammy jidori egg, homemade pickles and koshihikari rice.

To order: When you click on the button above, it will take you directly to a pop-up order form on the My Friend Yuji webpage, where you first select a pickup time. In the next window, click a bento and select the number you want to order; repeat with other bento if desired. Click the “View order” bar at the bottom to confirm your order and click “Continue to payment” to sign in and pay for your order.

Support J-Sei At the Movies

Thanks to you, J-Sei At the Movies is in its Seventh Year! We look forward to more creative programming with educational and inspiring Japanese and Japanese American films. We are especially grateful for the up close and personal chats with filmmakers as we learn so much from the exchange.

We love having a growing and enthusiastic audience. We welcome any donations to help us offset costs for Movie Night. Thanks for considering this.